What global companies look for in engineering teams, and how SA fits the model

KRS interns 2026.

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As global software development moves beyond one-location delivery models, organisations are prioritising delivery reliability, expertise and long-term product ownership over cost-only solutions. Within this shift, South Africa has emerged as a dependable engineering hub, with local engineering teams gaining traction as stable, high-quality partners for global software delivery.

According to McKinsey research, distributed and hybrid working models have been established across the technology sector, driven by access to skilled talent and productivity over cost reduction alone.

“Global engineering teams today aren’t built around geography anymore, but around delivery maturity, continuity and system knowledge,” said Steve Randals, COO at Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS), a software development company in Cape Town founded in 1987. “South African teams deliver all three, and as the industry integrates AI into core workflows, that advantage is only increasing.”

Over the past decade, there have been several major structural shifts that have influenced the new standard for building and scaling software:

• Distributed teams are now the norm, with engineering teams designed to operate globally from the outset. This is supported by collaboration-focused tech stacks and shared delivery frameworks.
• Geographic proximity is no longer a primary decision factor, as organisations prioritise predictability, system ownership and continuity over physical location.
• Long-term engineering partnerships are replacing transactional outsourcing, with companies investing in stable development partners that retain system knowledge and share responsibility for outcomes.

Adds Randals: “South Africa’s engineering workforce offers stable teams, low turnover and deep system understanding. These are all factors that reduce delivery risk and support long-term platform growth.”

There are also several practical advantages for global companies outsourcing custom software development to South African engineering teams:

• Cost-effectiveness: This is supported by a favourable exchange rate, although delivery consistency remains the primary driver of long-term partnerships.
• High English fluency: South Africa ranked 13th out of 123 countries and regions for English proficiency. This reduces communication barriers.
• Cultural alignment with UK, European and North American markets: Shared business norms and communication styles enable smoother collaboration around commercial expectations and business practices.
• Time-zone overlap with Europe and parts of the United States: Aligning with work hours allows for real-time collaboration, faster feedback loops and quicker decision-making.
• A deep pool of senior, remote-ready engineering talent: South Africa’s mature tech and ICT ecosystem supports experienced engineers familiar with working across distributed global teams.

South African engineering teams operate within a sometimes complex and often resource-constrained environment. This has shaped a delivery culture focused on adaptability, pragmatic problem-solving and accountability.

Teams prioritise business outcomes by selecting tools and approaches based on suitability rather than popularity. This mindset is particularly relevant right now, as AI reshapes software development workflows, with local teams integrating AI-assisted development as an accelerator for delivery rather than a replacement for engineering judgment.

“AI isn’t just a productivity tool anymore. It’s baseline infrastructure,” notes Randals. “Developers entering the workforce in 2026 and beyond will need to excel at system design and contextual problem-solving, not just writing code.”

Responding to this industry shift, KRS recently launched its first AI-native developer training programme.

Ayesha Bagus, HR Director at KRS, adds: “Unlike traditional bootcamps that treat AI as an add-on skill, this programme treats AI-augmented development as the baseline.”

The AI-first training emphasises:

• Effective AI collaboration and prompt engineering
• System thinking over syntax memorisation
• Quality assurance in AI-generated code
• Human-centred problem definition

Early results suggest graduates are production-ready faster than in traditional models, bringing adaptive thinking and delivery discipline into global distributed teams.

The programme also addresses practical challenges in scaling software teams.

“Rather than positioning graduates as 'junior developers' in the conventional sense, KRS is training them as AI-augmented contributors who can handle substantial technical work under senior oversight,” Bagus continues. “This enables distributed teams to grow delivery capacity while maintaining quality and institutional knowledge.”

Organisations looking to expand their South African engineering capacity or pilot distributed team models can engage with KRS's AI-first training initiative in several ways:

• Direct hiring – Recruit graduates who've completed the programme and demonstrated production readiness.
• Pilot engagements – Test working relationships through short-term projects before committing to long-term hires.

“Our graduates are trained in modern development practices, including cloud-native architectures, automated testing, continuous deployment and, more crucially, working effectively within distributed, remote-first teams,” adds Bagus.

For international companies, it means access to developers trained for modern, AI-integrated workflows from day one.

Industry observers expect steady, sustainable growth in South Africa's technology sector over the next decade, shaped by adaptive learning cultures and proven delivery capabilities.

As AI-augmented development becomes standard practice, leading South African firms are redesigning training programmes, delivery processes and team structures around the assumption that AI capabilities will continue to expand rapidly.

At the same time, hybrid collaboration models between South African, European and North American teams continue to mature. As these models stabilise, locally developed products, particularly in AI, enterprise platforms and fintech, are expected to increase in global markets.

“The firms that thrive won’t be those with the most developers, but those building teams that learn, adapt and deliver outcomes in an environment where the tools themselves are constantly evolving,” concludes Bagus.

As global software delivery enters its next phase, South Africa stands strong, shifting its roles from participation to influence, and shaping how distributed, AI-enabled engineering teams are trained, integrated and sustained over the long term.

For more information about hiring from the programme or exploring partnership opportunities, contact:

Ayesha Bagus

HR Director, Khanyisa Real Systems

E-mail: ayesha@krs.co.za

Web: www.krs.co.za